CES 2019: Optoma's P1 smart projector+soundbar

Optoma’s P1 Smart 4K UHD Laser Cinema seems a clever idea — an ultra-short-throw 4K projector with an integrated soundbar, along with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control capabilities. The goal is to provide an all-in-one smart home entertainment system.

Revealed at CES 2019 in Las Vegas, the Optoma P1 integrates a 3000-lumen UHD home theater projector allowing a 120-inch image with the projector “just inches away” from the back wall. It supports HDR10 and HLG High Dynamic Range.

The integrated soundbar is designed by NuForce and offers Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS audio decoding capabilities, while built-in smarts via Optoma's 'Smart+' platform include smart home compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant capabilities, and IFTTT smart home automation. There is access to popular streaming services, including Netflix and YouTube, through the Optoma Marketplace and Optoma Infowall, which we first encountered when reviewing the also remarkably smart UHL55 (see full review here). The UHL55 uses the Texas Instruments DLP four-hit method of creating UHD from a 1920-x-1080 pixel digital micromirror; it seems likely the P1 will use the same given its remarkable pricing, quoted as “available in late Q2 [in the US] for an expected street price of US$2999”.

“At Optoma, we are continually committed to introducing innovations to the market that meet consumers’ evolving needs and expectations, bringing quality and simplicity to their lives at affordable prices” says Brian Soto, head of product management at Optoma Technology. “The P1 is the first entertainment product we’ve developed that we can confidently say stands to replace TVs in a large number of homes.”

We requested information on Australian pricing and availability from Optoma's Asia-Pacific HQ, and were informed this will be finalised closer to a launch expected in late Q2 or Q3. There are plans, however, to announce Optoma Smart+ in Australia around late Q1 or early Q2 "once its R&D is more concrete". Meanwhile for more information visit www.optoma.com/au

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